Computer servers typically have multiple firmware/hardware components that require setting up and potentially periodically updating. For example, a server may include a redundant array independent disk (RAID) controller, a server basic input output system (BIOS), video cards, network interfaces, etc., and some or all of these components require initial setup and often require periodic updating.
To setup and update server components, setup utilities (which are software programs) are often provided which are tailored to, e.g., update all the server components in one update process. The utility may be provided on a disk, and the server can invoke the utility by launching the utility into the utility's native operating system. The utility then discovers which components requiring updating are possessed by the server, and then sequentially updates each component.
As understood herein, it is frequently the case that each server component may have a native operating system that is different from the native operating systems of at least some of the other components. This means that the utility must relaunch itself into the native operating system of a first component, execute the update, then shut down and reboot into the native operating system of the next component, and so on until all components have been updated. This cyclic booting, updating, shutting down, and rebooting undesirably consumes time.